Haggis in a Hurry—A traditional Scottish dish made easy or maybe you’d rather eat scones

Barre has a great culinary heritage. Rail came to Barre in 1875, creating a much broader market for Barre’s fine granite and a “boom” occurred. Immigrants came from many countries to seek jobs in Barre’s burgeoning granite quarries and factories, called “sheds.”  All of these new Barre-dwellers brought their culinary and cultural heritage with them. The first wave of immigrants came from the Aberdeen area of Scotland, at that time a major granite producer and so my own personal story begins…

Although my mother’s ancestors and my father’s mother’s ancestors had dwelt in Vermont since the 1760s or so, my father’s father’s family, the Patons, came to East Barre from Scotland by way of Canada in 1893 when my grandfather was still a lad. They purchased land and opened a quarry and manufacturing shed and brought with them some of their great Scottish dishes, like haggis, blood pudding and head cheese.

I’m sure by now I have your mouth watering, so let’s talk about one of Scotland’s most notable culinary creations—haggis.  Haggis is a fine dish consisting of sheep’s ‘pluck”, or that is, the animal’s heart, liver and lungs. To these is added onion, oatmeal, salt, various spices and suet, along with stock to keep it moist.  Traditionally this heavenly concoction is slow roasted in a sheep’s stomach—naturally a long process from slaughter to table and hence the making of a modern-day dilemma.

Now what is a modern family to do?  Of course you want to keep up traditions and of course you want nutritious and delicious food on the table for your family. Historically the arduous task of feeding the family daily has fallen to the wife and mother of the family. But today most married women work out as well as care for their family. So how does the modern woman find time to chase, capture and gut a sheep and then slow roast the organs in the stomach? And what about those who wish to honor tradition but have modern-day, ethical concerns for the treatment of the sheep? It’s truly a dilemma.

So when a fellow Scot approached me holding the patent to an instant mix called “Haggis in a Hurry”, I naturally invested heavily. I regret to say that the product did not fly off the grocery store shelves as quickly as you’d expect.  I blame the packaging!

So look for a future sale at the Visitors Center on “Haggis in a Hurry” as I’m hoping to empty my cellar of product before summer is over. But in the mean time, I hope that you’ll settle for a recipe for another great Scottish traditional food, the scone.

When you don’t have time for haggis, a scone is the next best choice.  Serve them warm with butter and a good jam, such as the great Vermont-made jams we offer right here at the Visitors Center: 

http://vcshop.rockofages.com/home.php?cat=253  

Scottish Scone Recipe

I found a recipe at allrecipes.com that I especially like. It is easy to follow and results in a very good-tasting scone. Remember not to over work the dough, or the scones will be tough.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/simple-scones/Detail.aspx

ENJOY!

Omit the currents or raisins, mix up a batch of plain scones and top with our maple-blueberry drizzle, combining a Vermont iconic flavor with a traditional English recipe:

http://vcshop.rockofages.com/home.php?cat=253